SolaRola
SolaRola is a blob platformer developed by Progressive Media and published by Eidos in 2007. It is known for its minimalistic approach to both level design and humor. In the game you play as two blob brothers, Wiz and Waz, who travel across the four corners of the universe in their ship in order to help the Galactic Guardians and save the world from the evil Ping. Game mehcanics SolaRola bets on the classical control scheme for platformers (left/right/jump) but instead of a rigid sprite, you control a squishy blob, in substance a lot like Gish and in looks similar to the hero of Bounce. The levels in SolaRola are minimalist, consisting only of spheres and rectangles of one of four materials (ground, radioactive goo, destructible walls and shrinking foam) and containing only rocks, portals, ropes, enemies (hedgehogs, bats and one spider), expanders and bomb dispensers. From these elements the developers were able to create original and interesting features including lifts (a rectangle that periodically stretches and shrinks), ladders, rope swinging sections, vehicle sections (two rocks connected by a rope that Waz can jump on are called a “car”) and levels that is continually flodded with lava/rocks. There are two playable characters in SolaRola – red and larger Waz and smaller blue Wiz. Apart from color and size, they are identical. You control Wiz on the ship and in the Playground and Waz on the planet. Plot summary The game begins with Waz telling Wiz a joke in their spaceship when they recieve a scrambled distress call from the planet Yenifrudleflax. There, Waz finds a trapped being who introduces himself as Kachoo (which will be used as a joke for many, many times). Kachoo describes that he, together with five other Great Guardians, has been captured by “Ping the Unmerciless, the most evil being in the universe”, and Wiz and Waz must stop him. They agree and, after taking enough fuel on the planet Bek-Ta 10, begin their mission. Wiz and Waz take instructions from Kachoo and visit many planets while searching for the Guardians, taking a break only to take out the trash on their home planet Kratux 6. At the command of Kachoo they also land on the planet Fluffball to inspect the strange creatures that invaded it (although they were never called by any name in the game, they are known in the community as hedgehogs). After the mission, Kachoo unintentionally mentions that he plans to clone them, to which he whitewashes by saying that it's “for scientific purposes”. This is enough for Wiz and Waz to continue to trust him. The blob brothers continue to trust Kachoo even after he tells them that they won't get any mony for the mission and, in fact, will be sacrificed. However, Waz finds and rescues the last “Guardian”, named NotPing, on the planet Daygoaan 16, Kachoo celebrates and confesses that he himself is Ping the Unmerciless. He explains that he has been split into six pieces and scattered across the universe but now he has been regenerated and will take over the world. At first Waz wants to call their mother but then he decides they will destroy Ping instead. Before that, however, he wants to find some food. Then they land on the planet Corbrillcant but find out that Ping has fleed to another planet. Finally they find him on the planet Pong 11001. Waz fires bombs at him, Ping always revenges by throwing hedgehogs at him. At last, Waz defeats Ping and saves the universe from doom. Levels Yenifrudleflax It is a green planet with clouds in the background. It introduces the player to the radioactive sticky goo, as well as the blobs' ability to slide through very narrow slits. At the end you find Kachoo who tells you that he's one of the Six Great Guardians who have been captured by Ping the Unmerciless. Kachoo needs you to find the five other Guardians. Bek-Ta 10 It is a green planet with rain and a jungle in the background. You need to fetch two rocks here and push them to a portal. Then, as Wiz explains, they will be fed to the Rocks To Fuel Machine and produce enough fuel to rescue at least four Guardians. Lumma Gamma It is a white planet with snow in the background. Bombs and destructible walls are first introduced here. You're supposed to find the next Guardian, NikSak, on this planet, but he's not there. Sugi-Guyo IV It is a peach-colored planet with a galaxy in the background. It features bombs and a destructible floor, as well as the first vehicle in the game – you have to use it in order to get across pools of goo. You don't find NikSak at the end of this level. Uwho-Epsilon It is a grey planet with falling ashes and active volcanoes in the background. Ropes and grabbable rings are introduced here. The level also features bombs and destructible walls but the first one can be surpassed by taking a shortcut through an invisible hole to the left of the wall. At the end you find NikSak imprisoned between destructible walls. Kratux 6 It is a brown planet with clouds and vegetation in the background. You're here because the blobs' mother called them that Waz forgot to take out the trash. After a cinematic start where you swing across a pool of goo while holding on to a rope attached to a wheel, you find a handcart with radioactive goo. You need to pull it to the right across various bumps, slopes and hills without spilling it – if you do spill it, you die and this is the only level where you can die without touching anything dangerous. Fluffball It is a grey planet with rain and lightnings and a jungle in the background. You need to investigate the strange creatures that invaded it (although the game never calls them by a name, they are commonly reffered to as “hedgehogs”). It is the first planet where you see a lift. Also, the fact that hedgehogs can be killed by a bomb is introduced here. After you reach the end, Kachoo unintentionally mentions that he needed the information in order to clone the creatures. When Wiz asks why, Kachoo haltingly responds that it's for “scientific purposes”. Omicron P8 It is a blue planet with snow (both falling and in the background). It features a “ski jumping hill”, where you have to gain enough velocity to jump over a pool of goo, and a part where you have to use a bomb to bounce a rock off a wall in order to reach it. Kachoo needs you to “place a beacon” which is achieved by pushing the rock to the top right portal. After doing this, Kachoo thanks you and instructs you to find the third Guardian – Rara. Waz laughs and says that he thinks Kachoo is making the names up, to which Wiz jokingly replies that Guardians should have a heroic name, something like “Wiz”. Juq-Wele IX It is a fluorescent green planet with a galaxy in the background. Right after start you have to go right on a junction in order not to fall to radioactive goo. Then, after some jumping over pools of goo, you find Rara. Mreib-Iota It is a brown planet with active volcanoes in the background. You're here to save some of the endangered bats that live here by bringing them to the portal. However, the only way to bring them to a portal, one first have to bomb them. After fetching the required number of bats, you found out that they really are dead. Then Waz announces that he's probably ill and vomits in the spaceship. Wiz notes that they need to get some space medicine. Bodiat XI It is a beige planet with clouds and vegetation in the background. It features shrinking foam (white circles that shrink when you touch them) and a long vehicle section. It is also the only planet that has a spider – a black creature with big eyes, small red mouth and four long thin legs. Spider hurts you when you touch it from below but dies when you jump on it. Then you jump through a long thin tube and reach a portal. You can feed the dead spider into it but it won't suffice, you also need to take some pills (rocks with a grabbable ring on a short rope) there. Derui 12 It is a brown planet with rain and active volcanoes in the background. You need to fetch some unspecified rock to a teleport. To do it, you have to fall through many layers of shrinking foam, avoid goo and hedgehogs. The best route is along the left solid wall of the pit. There you find a rock, push a hedgehog to goo and jump down taking the rock to the teleport. Ruwoyi It is a light blue planet with snow. It contains a maze, a safe way through it is to take one of the two roads right under the platform where you start and on the next junction take the left way. At the end you find the Guardian Corakllquar. Wiz asks Kachoo what will happen when they fail to rescue all the Guardians. Kachoo responds that “our planet will be turned to a sweet lemonade and an infinite era of darkness will begin”. (The word “our” might indicate that he's also from Kratux 6, like Wiz and Waz.) Sullbooloth It is a pink planet with a galaxy on the background. Kachoo needs you to bring two transmodigrafers from here. In the level you will need to use goo on a rope to kill off some hedgehogs. Also, some unknown symbols can be seen under a platform in the middle of the level – some look like letter, some are just straight lines. After finishing the level, Kachoo confesses that Wiz and Waz weren't chosen for their intelligence or anything, they were chosen to be sacrificed. Imuyoe XV * šedá, lávová planeta, déšť * vlevo nahoře pružinový "výtah" nahoru * shodit balvan, dotlačit doprava, přelézt zeď * zničit bombou zátaras * dotlačit automat na bombu na expandér * jít úplně doleva, vylézt zpět nahoru * počkat až automat na bombu vyletí nahoru, vzít ho doprava * použít bombu na posunutí vozíku a uvolnění cesty k němu * přejet lávu, dojet k ceduli * Hapcii "četl mapu vzůhru nohama" a strážce je na druhé straně galaxie Noruri 10 * zelená s mraky, vegetací * ježci * vlevo je kámen * jím vpravo ucpat lávu * pokračovat dolů * je tu strážce Kach Fuble-Elixs * Hapcii potřebuje získat balíček * zelená planeta s džunglí * na konci je teleport, automat na bomby a zásilka za zničitelnou zdí * teleport lze naplnit bombami, ale je to pomalejší * při uvolňování zásilky dát pozor, aby nedošlo k uvolnění radioaktivního odpadu, který je přímo nad zásilkou * Hapcii se zřejmě spletl, místo zásilky vyzvedli fotoalbum * obsahuje fotky strážců, zbývají Brad a NotPing * Hapcii je rozčilený, chce fotoalbum vrátit a najít jinou zásilku Suk'nos * časovka * Wiz přistál na špatné planetě * modrá, sníh, radioaktivita * je potřeba sebrat kámen do teleportu a utéci * za Wazem se valí radioaktivní kuličky * Hapcii si stěžuje, že nedostal svůj "multiplazmový agatronitron" Snark * balíček je na souřadnicích X367-BYZ * planeta je plná "skal, jeskyní a radioaktivních jam" * failová, s galaxií na pozadí Yaf Kappa * palivo * hnědá planeta se sopkami * cedule s otazníky * je třeba dostat dva velké kameny do teleportu Trangopin * Hapcii si zapomněl přeparkovat auto a bude pršet * béžová planeta s mraky a vegetací Daygoaan 16 * zde je uvězněný poslední strážce, NotPing * tyrkysově-zelená planeta, džungle * po záchraně NotPinga se Hapcii přizná, že byl celou dobu Ping * Wiz a Waz ho chtějí zastavit, ale nejprve se Waz musí najíst Ryorlag 23 * jídlo * bílá planeta, sníh * napravo téměř nemožná cesta přes lávu, expandéry a netopýry * nalevo nutnost vyskákat pěnou až nahoru * čtyři kameny do teleportu Corbrillcant * tyrkysová planeta, na pozadí galaxie * valící se kameny * Ping tu není Pong 11001 * tmavě šedá planeta, sopečná aktivita * obrovský fialový Ping * je nutné ho zničit bombamiCategory:Platformer Category:Blob platformer Category:J2ME Category:Sci-fi Category:Exclusive